Each Day After Valentine's
by Radiorox
Summary: The day after Valentine's Mac begins to receive roses from a admirer. **COMPLETE**
1. White

Title: Each Day After Valentine's

Author: Radiorox

Summary: The day after Valentine's Mac begins to receive roses from a admirer.

**Chapter 1 - White**

It began on February 15th when a simple white rose appeared on her desk. The stem had been neatly cut and a few of the leaves remained along with the most perfect flower Mac had ever seen.

She stared at the rose for several long moments and finally plucked the bloom off her desk, instinctively bringing the flower to her nose. Mac took a sniff surprised at how fragrant it was although most of the petals were tightly closed.

Attached on a white string was a small, typewritten note etched across a card with no other discernible markings other than the words: 'White for hope and adoration.'

Mac turned the card over hoping to find a name, an initial, anything that would tell her who the flower was from but, there was none. She frowned and turned towards the bullpen hoping to find an answer. The morning hustle and bustle was in full swing, her eyes scanning for signs of a secret admirer only to come up empty.

She took a few steps towards her window, specifically the one which faced Harm's office. It was still dark and Mac felt her heart sink. "What are you thinking?" She admonished. It wouldn't be something he would do, especially not for her. With his good looks and charm, he certainly didn't need minute overtures of love to get a woman. Besides, they were friends, just friends although she longed for so much more.

She used a half empty bottle of water as a makeshift vase and placed it at the corner of her desk. Maybe this was a mistake delivered to her by accident? Valentine's Day had been the day prior and she's spent it with her two favorite men: Ben and Jerry. The holiday was stupid in her opinion, just a marketing ploy to sell flowers and greeting cards.

It wasn't until late morning when Harm passed by her office whistling some tune she wasn't familiar with. "Hey, do you have the McCabe file?" He noted the rose and motioned to it with his finger. "Decorating?"

"Secret admirer...I think." She said with a shrug and then handed him the file. "No idea who left it."

Harm leaned a hip against the corner of her desk and snatched the card she held out to him. "'White is for hope and adoration'...cute."

"Cute?"

"Yeah, cute. Any idea who your Don Juan is?" He motioned to the bullpen and scanned the area seemingly searching for the giver.

"Nope. Not a damn clue. Thoughts?"

He studied the card again and frowned. "No. But, I'll keep my ear to the ground for ya...Thanks, Mac...I'll get the file back to you by tomorrow." He placed the card at the corner of her desk and made a beeline for his own office.

Mac watched him leave. "Why can't it be you?" She whispered and then glanced back at the rose. Why indeed?


	2. Pink

**Day 2 - Pink**

It was as Mac returned from lunch when she found not one but two roses in the center of her desk. This time, the flowers were a pale pink cinched together by a pink ribbon wrapped around the stem. There was another card as undescript as the day before with similar etching.

'Pink for gratitude and happiness.' She read the note outloud and promptly glanced through her open office door to find Harriet starting with an amused expression. "Do you know something about these, Lieutenant?"

The younger woman's grin was instantly wiped away by Mac's tone. "No, ma'am. But, they are beautiful, who left them?"

"I don't know. Yesterday it was one white rose. Today, two pink." She held the card out to Harriet who read the note and then handed it back to Mac.

"A secret admirer? How exciting!" Harriet practically beamed and it was all Mac could do to not roll her eyes. "The Colonel seems to have a secret Admirer." She said to Bud and Harm as they crossed into the bullpen.

Harm noted the two flowers in Mac's hands. "More roses and no clues, huh? Why pink?" He asked curiously. "Lemme guess, romance?"

"The card says: gratitude and happiness." She turned away from her friends and sauntered into her office only to have Harm on her heels. Mac placed the flowers in the same bottle where the white rose still was. "Gonna need a vase if this is a regular thing."

"Surprised you don't get more tokens of adoration." He said with a grin and then pointed his thumb out to the bullpen. "Everyone loves you and I'm sure there is more than one guy out there who would take a bullet date you."

'All but one.' Mac thought to herself, raising an annoyed brow as his flyboy grin widened. He was enjoying this way too much. "I prefer a guy to want me for me than my looks...I'm really not that special."

Her comment made the grin wash off his face replaced by a pensive expression that Mac couldn't quite read. It was as if he sobered for a moment, even Harm's eyes changed to an almost stormy grey. "You're a pretty special lady to me, Sarah."

Despite starting over and rebuilding their friendship, there were lines they silently decided not to cross. She wouldn't put her heart out on the line for him to crush again. But, the way he said her given name made an uncontrollable blush spread across her cheeks. And then there were his eyes which changed again, darkened to the same colour they had that night he kissed her on the Admiral's porch.

Harm was staring at her lips and just when Mac believed he would kiss her, he took a step back. "I ah… I'll get… uh...out of your hair." He stammered quickly retreating to his office.

Mac reminded herself that it was better to have him as a friend than nothing at all even though it hurt like hell.


	3. Orange

**DAY 3 - Orange**

"So they just keep appearing on your desk?" Sturgis asked motioning at the arrangement that now had six roses. One white, two pink and three orange.

This time the flowers appeared after she returned from court. They were displayed in a clear vase with an orange ribbon attached to a card that read: 'Orange for passion and desire.'

The message made her blush furiously as she imagined Harm to be the one to send the message. And then she remembered they were just friends and likely would always be. She figured something would have happened after kissing under the mistletoe during Christmas. But, any possible romance fizzled out for some reason.

"It's kinda starting to freak me out a little." She admitted after reaching out to brush a finger over the petals of the white rose which had opened. Mac thought of Coster, the former detective that had stalked her and murdered her boyfriend. He was rotting in jail as far as she knew but, even from behind bars felons had been known to have a long reach.

Sturgis caught Mac's expression, an apprehension that was noticeable. "Did something happen?"

Mac sighed. "Stalker situation a few years back. He murdered the man I'd been seeing, kidnapped me. If Harm hadn't… He saved me." She trailed off, not wanting to consider what kind of sick things Coster could have done if Harm hadn't found her. "Told you, my life's an earthquake."

"That isn't what this is." He said with certainty. "The roses is a sign of someone that cares for you a lot."

"You saying you know who it is?"

Sturgis shook his head. "No, I don't but, enjoy the mystery."

Mac's eyes drifted to the flowers, her frown turning to a smile. Sturgis was right, she needed to enjoy whatever this was.


	4. Yellow

**Day 4 - Yellow**

Mac spotted the arrangement even before she opened the door to her office. Much more elaborate, there was a bigger vase with 10 roses. The white, pink and orange ones were in a larger vase with four fully opened yellow ones that joined the bunch. The card was attached to a yellow ribbon which was wrapped around the upper half of the vase. 'Yellow for friendship and joy.'

"I see Don Juan struck again?" Harm came up behind her and plucked the card from Mac's fingers. "Friendship and joy, huh? That's nice."

Nice? That's all he could say? "Honestly, this is a bit...much, don't you think?"

Harm placed the card on her desk and slid it towards the arrangement. "Why? Someone likes you and is putting effort into showing it. Don't you girls like these kinda things?"

"I ah… I guess." She wasn't immune to jewelry or flowers, it was always nice to receive a gift when a man showed interest.

"C'mon Mac how long has it been since you've gotten flowers?" When she didn't speak right away he blurted out an answer before Harm could stop himself. "Mic used to send you flowers every Friday until you switched that ring over." Her eyes widened in surprise that he would have noticed that small fact. "Yeah, I noticed."

Mac thought back to the countless flowers and gifts Mic showered her with some too extravagant for her liking, including the ring. Once the engagement was final and they had set a date the gifts seemed to stop save for a few flower arrangements if they fought. It was like Mic got the prize so the need to work for it ceased to matter. "Did you ever buy Renee roses?"

"Only when I needed to grovel, they didn't really do much for her." He spent a few hundred and none were really admired. Then again, the reasons why he'd given Renee flowers in the first place was to right a mistake - like that one day he called her Mac.

"Lemme guess, was jewelry more her speed?"

It had been. "Yes. Not that it mattered...I wasn't in love with Renee." He took the vase, reorganizing the flowers so that the yellow ones were up front.

"I loved Mic…" She stated and then her eyes dropped away from his. "But, I wasn't in love with him...It shames me to admit that...I didn't want to lead him on but…"

"I know, Mac...You didn't want to be alone…" Harm finished for her and then wiped the solitary tear that slid down her cheek. He understood, of course, it was the same reason he and Renee lasted as long as they did. "Soooo, are you a jewelry or flower kinda girl?"

"Flowers...I prefer flowers."


	5. Purple

**Day 5 - Purple.**

It was Friday morning and Mac was running late. She barely slept the night before, tossing and turning all night as she tried to figure out the mystery of the roses. I wasn't Harm, she decided although female intuition had him as the main culprit. Then again, that just wasn't the type of thing he would do.

So her investigative mind began to wander and wander to the point where Mac threw the covers off in the middle of the night and sat in her living room with a notepad. She went through all of the men at JAG, cringing when some of the younger enlisted came to mind.

Oh, she hoped he wasn't enlisted although she knew there were a few that, as Harm put it, would 'take a bullet' to date her. Gunny in particular who was a good man, good looking and a Marine. He'd protected her with a similar intensity as Harm but then, the man was too by the book to make a move.

It reminded her of a few cases she'd worked with Harm when enlisted and officers crossed the line. The fallout had been a career ender.

So, after hours and pages of notes it all came down to Harm again who was the first person she bumped into that morning. "Hey you okay? You missed the meeting."

Mac sighed, "Didn't sleep well… didn't even hear my alarm and my internal clock hates me this week."

"Well, these came for you." Harm presented her a vase with five purple roses. "Purple is for love at first sight...Looks like Don Juan is a romantic." When she didn't take them he followed her into the office and placed them on her desk.

She watched him for a moment as he fluffed the flowers and fixed the arrangement. "Is it you?"

His eyes went wide as saucers and Mac wasn't sure if it was a tell or not. "Mac...Can't you just enjoy it and be happy?"

"Are you happy?"

"This Isn't about me…"

"You know we never talked about what happened between us." Or didn't happen, as was the case. She ran away and although their friendship was mended little else was.

"You wanted to go back to the beginning…I guess we have, haven't we? Things are less tense."

"It's a different kind of tense, actually…. We've just mutually decided to ignore it because emotions are too messy."

Harm opened and closed his mouth, trying to formulate a rebuttal. "Mac...look."

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"What?"

She took the card and raised it up for him to read again "The card said the purple roses were for love at first sight." Which was something Mac didn't believe in until she met a certain Lt. Commander in a rose garden.

Smitten was an understatement, was the most attractive man she'd ever seen. Those piercing blue eyes, the way he carried himself so confident and strong. He was a good guy too, noble, loyal, honorable to a fault.

"Yes." He stepped towards her, closing the space between them. "It's easy to fall for someone at first sight, it's making it work afterwards that's the problem."

"Sounds like you have experience." Harm's eyes drifted to her lips taking interest when she swept her tongue over to moisten them.

He nodded. "I didn't know that's what it was." His hands came up to frame her face and just as she thought he would kiss her, Harm didn't. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"It's Saturday. I didn't have plans."

"The weather is supposed to be perfect, come fly with me."

She cringed at the thought of going up on his plane. The scar on her leg from a madman's rifle still remained as a souvenir. "Harm, last time things didn't go so well."

"Let me make it up to you."

"Okay." Mac conceded and then his lips brushed the corner of her mouth before he stepped away.


	6. Peach

**Day 6 - Peach**

"You're early!" Mac threw open the door and was greeted not by Harm but by a pimply faced delivery boy holding an arrangement with six peach roses.

She signed for the flowers and felt a sort of delight that her admirer would send them to her home. Few people knew where she lived so that brought Harm back to the top of her list of acceptable givers. She was sure it was him now and if he wouldn't admit it, fine, playing along with his charade seemed sort of run. How far would he take things?

At least, she hoped it was Harm for various reasons: the rest of the men on her list...well, it was downright creepy. Chegwidden she thought of more as a father figure than a suitor. Gunny, the man was cute enough but, enlisted and she wasn't going down that road. Bud was married and any idea of romance with him, frankly made her cringe. Sturgis and her butted heads too much, she would honestly kill the man if they dated.

She considered the detective that was interested in her for a time but, they had exactly ONE date and she found him to be adorable but, so vanilla. Webb came to mind as well and Mac decided she'd rather have a root canal without anesthesia than date him.

So, it all came back to Harm - it had to be him - she was praying it was him.

Despite their banter, the arguments and miscommunication, they just fit. She trusted him with her life and he with her. It was her heart that was having reservations although he'd shown some sort of interest during that whole Mic debacle. If only she hadn't run away… if only.

She plucked the card and read the note, grinning like an idiot at it's small message: 'Peach for when I miss you.' He missed her? Though they spent a lot of time together, they did spend a lot of time apart on different assignments. She barely saw him most of Friday until she sauntered into the parking lot and found him slipping into his Vette.

Yes, there legal battles were legendary, a verbal foreplay. If only their passion for law could turn into passion for something else. Maybe it was time for her to state her intentions again? "Yeah and have him obliterate my heart again. No thanks."

Twenty minutes later, Harm finally made it to her apartment wearing that leather flight jacket that looked too damned good on him. "I'm not late." He defended balancing a small cardboard box in one hand and a paper bag in the other. "I just stopped by that French place and brought breakfast - chocolate croissants and coffee."

"You did? I love those!"

Harm dropped the box on her coffee table and pulled the coffee out of the bag. "I know what you like, Sarah." His voice had dropped down to a certain timbre that Mac could describe as his 'bedroom' voice. It made her body quiver involuntarily, the man just didn't know how deadly hr was. "So, Don Juan sent them here, huh?" He motioned to the vase on her coffee table. "What did the card say this time?"

"Peach for when I miss you."

Harm's smile went up in wattage, it was another tell as to who her admirer was. In fact, she had no doubts now. "Peach huh? Always thought roses were just red, white and yellow."

"Oh, there are so many colors… even black."

"Black roses?" He made a face laced with confusion and disgust. "Isn't that a little macabre?"

"No, not really." She settled next to him on the sofa, taking the croissant which he offered her, biting into the doughy goodness. "God these are good….Black roses aren't just associated with death, they are mysterious and can signal a rebirth."

"Rebirth? Like us starting at the beginning?"

"Yeah, just like that." She could practically see the wheels turning in his head and figured black would be the next colour she'd receive. "Sooo.. when are we heading off? Gotta tell you, I am nervous as hell."

"I promise, I'll take good care of you."

"No poachers?"

Harm grinned. "No poachers."


	7. Green

**Day 7 - Green**

Mac stretched in bed, moaning happily as each muscle awakened. She couldn't stop the silly grin from spreading on her lips or the delightful way her stomach did flip flops at the thought of the previous day's activities. She had gone flying with Harm, spent a wonderful morning and early afternoon in his plane, learning to trust that part of him again.

When they landed, he'd admonished Mac for hopping off the plane without his help. She had laughed it off, reminding him that she was not a damsel in distress and then it happened - he kissed her. Really kissed her.

Mac had meant to step away from the plane, to give him space while he did his final checks before storing it in the hangar. And that's when his hand wrapped around her wrist and he tugged her towards him. She didn't have a chance to question him as his head dipped down and his lips captured hers.

Harm didn't ask for permission, didn't look at her eyes in askance, he just kissed her and her body immediately pressed into his own as he did. A slow, deep kiss, Mac was sure it had never felt like this with anyone else. Harm's lips were soft but, demanding and every fantasy she ever had about him kissing her obliterated as his mouth moved over hers.

As quickly as he'd kissed her, he also stepped away but, the trepidation Mac was sure she would see in his eyes wasn't there. In fact, he had the gall to plaster that cocky grin on his lips. "I've been wanting to do that since the last time we did that." He admitted but, that kiss had turned her brain to mush, Mac knew she was staring at him like a lovesick teenager who had just made out with cutest boy in highschool. When she didn't say a word, he brushed his lips over hers again. "How about a late lunch at the greasy spoon near here?"

At the small diner the conversation was pleasant but, he didn't kiss her again which led Mac to believe that she may have messed up. She sighed in frustration and stripped the blankets off of her and sauntered into the kitchen in search for a strong cup of coffee. "Stop over analyzing things." She cursed herself, rapping her fingers on the counter as the coffee maker did its magic. And then, the contraption sputtered to death. "Oh no no no."

There was nothing worse than a decaffeinated Marine, even on her day off. She quickly dressed, tossing on some yoga pants, sneakers and a ball cap, grabbed her keys and headed off. A small coffee shop in Georgetown would have been her destination but, the 7 green roses left outside her apartment door made her stop.

'Green for new beginnings.' Was etched onto the care still with no other discernible marks.

"New beginnings, huh?" If she wasn't sure before, she was now certain as to who her Don Juan was. It made her heart skip a beat that Harm would even bother to take such time and care. She felt special because of it, cherished...loved.

Walking back into her apartment, she placed the flowers alongside the peach ones on her coffee table. "So, Don Juan struck again, green this time." Mac said to Harm when she placed a call to his apartment and he'd groggily answered.

"Green?" Harm's voice was raspy from sleep and Mac could hear the rustling of bedsheets. "Was there a card?"

"Green for new beginnings." Or staring at the beginning as she'd suggested after the JAG-A-THON.

"Beginnings are good… really good, helps you fix mistakes."

Mac sighed, "Do you have mistakes to fix, flyboy?"

"I Have a habit of sticking my food in my mouth." He chuckled. "I may have found a way around that."

What comment had her interest piqued. "Oh? Do tell."

"Actions speak louder than words, Sarah." His voice, still raspy from sleep dropped to a deeper tone when he said her name. Mac imagine waking up to that every morning, the bedroom voice, his arms around her.

"Is that why you kissed me?"

She could practically hear rye mirth in his voice. "I don't kiss and tell…Let me shower and dress, I'll be by in an hour, we can go to the croissant place for brunch. Maybe talk about that kiss some.more."

"Hurry. My coffee machine just died."

"Aye ma'am."


	8. Nothing

**Day 8 - Nothing. **

"Hey. Just wanted to see how you were doing in to let you know that there are no flowers on your desk today." Harm said when she answered her cell phone. On Sunday Mac had been called by Chegwidden to drive to Norfolk for an investigation of a former client; and they never had a chance to go to brunch.

No flowers? Perhaps, that was a good thing? "Maybe Don Juan gave up?"

"Or Don Juan is rebooting for round two... so...I've decided to help you find out who it is." Harm's voice seemed to perk up at the idea, Mac could practically hear his smile over the line and rolled her eyes. "What if it's a woman, not a man?"

His comment nearly had her spitting out the coffee she'd been attempting to ingest. "A what?"

"A woman? Don't ask, don't tell…You know..." He trailed off for a moment and then mentioned the last person Mac would ever want to receive flowers from. "What about Singer? I mean, I know you're straight but…"

Mac crinkled her nose at the thought of anything with Lt. Witch. She'd wanted to like Loren, tried to be cordial and have her join their flock but, the woman was horrible. Nevertheless, a wicked thought passed through her mind, a way to get back at Harm for the fun he was having at her expense. "Straight? Well… there um… was this time, in college. You know? The experimental years…" She trailed off with a suggestive tone, in fact her voice had dropped down an octave, seductively so.

"Uh...Oh."

She knew the exact moment Harm had dropped his phone. He was cursing, loudly and dropped the receiver once again with a hard bang. Mac bit her lower lip, trying so hard not to laugh at how she imagined him, scurrying after the phone, banging his head on the bottom of the desk - yep, she heard that too. It was literally too easy to fluster the great Harmon Rabb, Jr, perhaps that was the only hold she had on him. "Harm?"

"Ex… ex...ex-perimental… uh years?" He finally said and Mac could just imagine his cheeks burning a bright, bright red.

"Yep… college. It was wild." Wild as in having her head in a law book every night into the early morning. Yep, totally wild.

"But… I uh… thought… well, you were uh...into guys."

She could no longer keep up the charade and her laughter broke through the line. "Harm, I'm as straight as they come… Chic's aren't my thing. The male persuasion is what gets my juices flowing." His male persuasion definitely did, the man was so dreamy.

"Oh… heh. That's good, I guess." He breathed a sigh of relief that she clearly heard over the line, it made her smile. "So what kind of guy are you into? If I may be so bold to ask?"

Him. She was into him. So into him there were times that Harm was all she thought about. "Smart. Charming. Funny. Loyal." Sea blue eyes, dark hair and Commander's bars with that zillion kilowatt smile that made her stomach do somersaults.

"Maaac, you describing a guy or a Golden Retriever? I need specifics...Talk, dark, fit?"

Specifics? She couldn't really get too specific without tipping her hand. "Okay. Looks are nice but they aren't everything if what's inside the package isn't good."

"Oh…. Hadn't thought about it that way." He remained silent for a bit and then had the courage to ask something he'd been curious about. "The past men in your life, what about them attracted you?"

"They wanted me and they let me know it. Although, in retrospect, Mic was too aggressive in his interest for me, pursued a little too hard."

"Until he wore you down?"

Mac sighed. "Yeah, I guess. But, he wasn't the right guy for me anyway. I need a partner, someone who doesn't let me get away with my crap. Someone really knows me, is my best friend, challenges me, excites me, intrigues me… Someone who…"

"Loves you?" He interjected and Mac took a pause. "I didn't hear you mention anything about love...Or, more specifically, being in love… There's a difference between the two, you know."

"Yes, there is." And she was hopelessly in love with him. "Have you ever been in love, Harm?" Her own heart raced from her question especially with how he caught his breath on the opposite line. She wasn't sure but, Mac could swear she heard his breath quicken as well as some odd type of tingling that she knew he felt as well. "Have you?"

Harm let out a breath. "Yes… Although, I didn't know that's what it was until it was too late."

Diane, she surmised and hated that she held a sort of contempt for a dead woman. "Being in love can hurt."

"Yes, it can...I uh… Mac." He trailed off again and sighed deeply. "You know.. I… Damnit, I'm in lo..."

"Colonel?" Mac had been holding her phone in a vice grip as Harm's tone had changed and softened. He was going to tell her something important, she knew, something she was longing to hear but, as per usual, duty called. "Your client is ready." She glanced up to find a young Marine Corporal standing ramrod straight just a foot away from her desk.

"I have to go, Commander." She never heard Harm finish his sentence, rambling through a shy confession of love. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah… see you then."


	9. Blue

**Day 9 - Blue**

Mac was sick. She'd gotten some crud in Norfolk and spent all of Monday evening and most of Tuesday in bed. She felt awful, her head pounding terribly and her body was just beaten to a pulp. She'd never felt so psychically ill in all of her life not even when she got the chicken pox at age 13.

Half asleep when someone knocked at the door, Mac cinched her robe tightly, mumbling a slew of curse words until she threw the door open to find Harm standing on the other side. "Hey partner, thought you could use some homemade chicken soup."

He held a brown paper bag with what she supposed were groceries and also noticed the flowers neatly wrapped in florists bouquet paper that stuck out of the top. "You should go, Harm. You don't want what I got."

Instead, he moved past her walking straight to the kitchen and pulling out the items he brought. "Have you eaten anything today?"

Mac nodded. "Tea and a box of crackers."

"That's not food, Mac." He admonished with one of those scolding 'Harm' expressions and that damned raised brow that signaled he was always right.

She folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes. "I've been in bed all day, gimme a break." Mac spotted the flowers, the first thing he'd pulled from the bag. It was sweet but, way more than he needed to do. Part of her wanted to tell him to stop, the other part was curious as to how far he was willing to go to have her. "More flowers?"

"Oh yeah!" He grabbed the bouquet and shoved them at her. "They were in your office, decided to bring them here...Blue roses, eight of them. What's the card say?"

"Blue because you're unique and extraordinary." She rolled her eyes again. "Yeah well, I feel like neither right now. And honestly? I'm not unique or extraordinary." Mac produced a vase from under the sink, filled it with water and dropped the whole arrangement inside without even unwrapping it. She would fluff the flowers later when she felt better. "I'm average at best."

Harm, who had begun to chop carrots stopped and turned to her with his patented annoyed glare. "You're kidding me, right?" He looked her up and down noting her pink nose, swollen eyes and old robe that hid all of the curves and swells of her body. Sick or not she was still sexy as hell, in his opinion. "You aren't average, Mac."

Heaving a sigh, she leaned against the cabinets and decided to challenge his opinion. "Okay, I'll bite. What's so unique and extraordinary about me? You, I can see - just being a fighter pilot gives you both those qualities but, me? Yeah, I don't see it."

If there was one thing Harm hated about Mac was the times like this when she lowered her self worth. He knew it was a product of her past and wished to hell he could erase it. "Okay. Let's start with unique: those inchka things."

"Those what?"

"Inca...ichta…" What the hell had she called them?! "You know those dinosaur tracks? In Red Rock Mesa?"

"Ichnites." Mac clarified, unable to stop a smile from spreading.

"Yeah those… I've never dated anyone that has a unique hobby like that…'' He resumed chopping vegetables; tossing carrots, onions and celery into a pot adding a little olive oil.

"Are we dating?" She supposed they sort of had been in a roundabout way. Then again, they never did anything easy.

"That timing thing you do, it is extraordinary…" Harm ignored her question, unpackaged two chicken breasts and began dicing them too, tossing them in the pot and then washing his hands in the sink. "Saving my life in the middle of nowhere… that counts as extraordinary."

"I found your raft not you."

He turned to Mac to face her fully. Those eyes of his seemed to look bluer, if that was even possible and the way he looked at her made her heart stop. "The SAR team would have moved on if you hadn't sent them there...Loftness confirmed it...they were done searching that quadrant…" The idea of being in the sea any longer than he had was terrifying. No one knew how much because he'd bottled it up, until now. "They couldn't find my EPIRB, Mac… If you hadn't given them the coordinates and gotten them as close as you did...I would have died."

"No. Harm, you're strong. You could have…"

"Not that time." She thought he'd been over the accident until she saw the pain and sadness in his eyes. "I was too cold to keep my body up over the waves any longer… I had given up… I wanted to die and end the misery."

She felt the tear slide down her cheek, never imagining that he would want his life to end. That night had easily been the worst of all her life, the thought of losing him bringing up a memory she wanted to bury forever. "Please don't say that… You don't know how much it hurt to think I'd never see you again."

Harm brushed the tear away and then framed her face with his hands. "My point being, an extraordinary woman with unique talents saved my life. She so happens to be my best friend and the woman that...that I love." He said and then pressed a kiss to her lips.


	10. Fire and Ice

**Day 10 - Fire and Ice.**

One day later, Mac still felt awful but, giddy at the same time.

Harm loved her and had told her three times, in her kitchen between kisses and a sneezing fit which left Mac mortified and apologetic.

He had stayed with her, despite her concerns for his own health, Harm stayed and cared for her. "And don't give me your 'I'm a Marine' speech." He warned, blowing any argument out of her sails.

Carefully, she crawled out of bed wondering how she got there considering she'd fallen asleep on her sofa with his arms around her. She figured he'd carried her to the bed and even removed that old robe before pulling the sheets over.

The concept of him, in her room, putting her to bed sent a wave of desire through Mac thar she set aside for further introspection when her head felt better. It was after she showered and walked out in a beeline for the kitchen that she spotted the new flower arrangement.

More roses. Nine, she counted. They were white but with fiery red tips that adorned the upper parts of the petals. The flowers had opened in soft swirls, the center still tightly wrapped.

There was another card but, this time the message was handwritten in Harm's script.

'Fire and Ice for fervor and unconditional love. - H.'

Unconditional love? She knew that's what she felt for him and had for years. Even through the pain, heart ache and the moments when he was downright idiotic, Mac loved him.

And then there was fervor. She grinned wickedly at the thoughts that raced through her mind, the intensely passionate way Mac knew making love with him would be.

She brushed her fingers over the petals and then made her way to the kitchen to find one of the best gifts she'd ever received: a new coffee machine with a big red bow on top and a bag of her favorite coffee.

Nope, Mac didn't need the jewelry. After making some Marine grade coffee, she grabbed her cordless phone and put a call in to Harm's office line thankful that he answered in two rings. "Hey, Harm. I may need to call the police." She said in a serious tone.

"What? Why? Are you…"

"Don Juan broke into my apartment, left me 9 of the most beautiful roses I've ever seen and a coffee machine." She grinned at the audible whooshing of air out of his lungs, his audible relief that she was okay.

Harm laughed, "You already used the machine didn't you?"

"Yep." She raised her USMC mug as if he could see it. "Marine grade and its delicious."

"Enjoy it." He remained silent for a moment guaging how to come about the next part. For some reason words failed him when it came to Mac which was why the roses made sense along with the little messages. "Uh...sooo… think you'll feel better by Saturday night?"

Mac's stomach flipped flopped, was he asking her out? "I suppose so, why?"

"Go out with me." He groaned when the words came out, they sounded more like a command. "No...that came out wrong...It would be an honor if you were to accompany me on a date this Saturday evening."

Yep, Mac was sure the Earth stopped rotating on its axis at that very moment in time. For sure, pigs were flying and more than likely, Hell froze over as well. She pinched herself to make sure it wasn't a dream. "Actually, I have a busy Saturday planned."

"Oh." She could hear the disappointment in his voice and then he began to backpedal. "It's just...I mean, you liked the flowers and you didn't seem to mind me kissing you…" Did he miss something? Ever since they started 'at the beginning' they'd been flirting, a lot.

"Harm." Mac stopped his tirade. "Hair, nails, make up...I know I'm a Marine but, I'm also a girl who likes to get pampered and look good for a date."

"I think you're pretty good looking without all of that stuff." He stated, matter if factly. "So is that a yes?"

"It's a 'hell yes', flyboy. Where you taking me?"


	11. Black

**Day 11 - Black**

"A florist delivered roses for you, ma'am." Harriet said once Mac appeared in the bullpen. The younger woman's expression was uneasy to say the least. "They're uhh...black roses. I didn't know those existed."

When she opened her door and stared at the arrangement she found it to be true. 10 black roses in a blood red vase with a white ribbon dangling from one of the stems and, now infamous, card. "Oh they do but, if you look close enough they are a dark, dark red or they're tinted." The ones on her desk were the former.

"What does the card say?"

"Black for new beginnings." It was typewritten again and devoid of initials of any kind.

He remembered, Mac thought, a silly grin now plastered on her face. She found she rather enjoyed this new beginning. The man could be infuriatingly annoying and sinfully sweet, she loved both sides of him. "Ma'am whoever it is, you are one lucky lady."

Yes, she was.

Sighing happily, Mac headed to the break room only to find the object of her desire leaning against one of the cabinets using a stir stick to mix the sugar in his coffee. "Morning, Harm." She said in a sweet voice, purposely brushing against him to reach for her mug.

"Morning. How ya feeling, Mac?" He was barely able to suppress a groan when her breasts brushed his arm given the fact she'd done so purposely.

"Better. My head is still a little out of whack but, I think that's from me laying down for two days."

He poured coffee in her mug, sprinkled just a little bit of creamer and dropped a stir stick in for good measure. "Sooo...did Don Juan do his or her thing again?" The sexy, flirty grin would have been a dead giveaway had he not left the last card. He was enjoying this game immensely, specifically the way she was staring at him...no, at his lips.

It was such a Harm thing for him to chew on a pen cap or that damned stir stick. A force of habit that was innocent and yet, anything but. He held the little red straw between his lips and it made Mac hyper aware of how kissable they were.

"Black for new beginnings. Don Juan is very sure of himself."

Harm's smile spread into a full flyboy grin. Her eyes kept drifting to his lips giving him a wicked idea. "Don't move." He rushed to the entrance, glanced around to make sure the coast was clear and then hurried back to her, taking the mug from her hand and placing it next to his on the counter. "I've fantasized about doing this in here for years."

"Doing what?" Her heart began to hammer, pulse quickening as his hands came to rest on her hips.

"This." He kissed her slowly, passionately, forcing a breath out of her Mac isn't even know she was holding. Harm's hold on her hips tightened when he pressed against her intimately.

Mac responded in kind, her tongue sweeping across the seam of his lips to dance with his. She groaned disapprovingly when he stepped away. Then again, the break room waa the last place to be making out with your partner.

For good measure, he brushed a soft kiss on her lips and then took his mug. "New beginnings are really great, aren't they?"

"Yes they are." She couldn't agree more.


	12. Desert Rose

**Day 12 - Desert Rose**

"Colonel? Did you buy a flower shop?" Mid-day Friday after spending most of the morning in court battling it out with Sturgis, Mac pushed through the double glass doors to find her CO standing in the bullpen with his arms folded across his chest.

AJ had an amused expression as he motioned to her office. Even through the blinds it was visible, the collection of flower arrangements spread across every hard surface. "N-no sir...this...oh wow."

There were different flowers everywhere, the wild kind with vibrant colours in every shade imafinavle. Blues, yellows, reds, purples and greens.

"So the rumors of a secret admirer are true." Chegwidden grinned when Mac turned to him with a knowing look. "Scuttlebutt spreads faster than wildfire...Hope you don't suffer from hayfever." On queue, he took a handkerchief from.his pocket and covered his nose to prevent from sneezing. "Carry on."

She went to the most elaborate arrangement, the one on the center of the desk in search for the now infamous card. 'Wild flowers because I am wild about you.' Mac laughed at the message although it made her look into the flowers more closely.

They were wild flowers, specifically some of which were found in the desert of the south West where she was born. Uncle Matt had taught her some of the flora and fauna of the area and while Mac was no expert, some of the blooms were familiar.

"Helluva jungle you have in here, Colonel." Harm's voice called from her doorway. He was cooly leaning against the frame, arms crossed and that smug expression on his face. He was pretty damned pleased with himself. "I'm gonna keep SAR on speed dial in case we need to send a search party to find you later."

She honestly, didn't know what to say and could only stare at him in awe. Clearly, his point in this mission had been made in ways words never could. "Isn't this a bit… much? I mean...wow." She hadn't noticed the ones on the small table in the corner either, a vase full of yellow flowers but, there wasn't a rose in sight. "So Don Juan finally ran out of roses?" Except for red, she noted.

"Not that I'm an expert but, did you see the one on your filing cabinet?" In a small ceramic pot was a plant that looked not unlike a bonsai tree. She knew that flower, had admired it once when she was overseas on assignment. "It's a desert rose."

"Oh, that's beautiful." The flowers all grew out of small limbs which curled out of the trunk. They were delicate looking white flowers with a blood red tip and a red center.

"This one won't wilt as long as you take care of it." Harm said softly in that low voice that, once again, made butterflies flutter in her tummy. He watched her carefully, gauging the expression of sheer joy and awe. Her smile though, he was sure he'd never seen Mac so happy and it gave him a sense of male pride. Christ did he want to touch her, kiss her, make love to her, wake up with Mac in his arms. She was turning him into such a sappy romantic; Harm decided that wasn't such a bad thing. "Soooo, 6pm tomorrow?"


	13. Red

**Day 13 - Red**

Harm studied his reflection in the large mirror in the foyer of Mac's building. His teeth were clean, hair was just right and he thought he looked pretty darn sharp in an all black suit. It was perfectly tailored, black slacks, black jacket, black shirt and tie which contrasted with the 13 red roses he carried.

'Red for love, longing, desire and devotion.' Were the words he'd written by hand finishing with his name just beneath. For once the card had another message on the opposite side a simple 'I love you.' also in Harm's writing.

He was late by fifteen minutes, the florist had taken excruciatingly long to pick only the prettiest roses to assemble the arrangement of 13 red roses set between baby's breath and green foliage partially wrapped in florists paper.

When he arrived at Mac's apartment, he knocked three times stood patiently waiting with one of his flyboy smiles only to have it wipe away when she opened the door. "You're not dressed."

Although, what she was wearing he would very much like to strip off of her at some point in his life. Mac had on a red silk kimono that was only slightly cinched at the waist. It dipped indecently low, enough for him to catch the matching silk bra. His mind turned to mush as he imagined the panties which came with the set.

Harm nearly fell back as Mac crashed into him, coming to her toes in order to kiss his lips. The roses fell away from his hand, hitting the floor when his arms encircled her waist and he pulled her closer. He kissed her back with fervor, the years of longing and pent up desire making him drown in her.

"I love you." She said, when they managed to pull apart. "I've always loved you." And then she kissed him again.

An hour later Mac lay sprawled over Harm tangled in a bedsheet. They never made it to dinner opting for 'dessert' instead. "So, Don Juan… why all the flowers? A dozen roses would have sufficed." A dozen? Hell, she would have been thrilled with one rose of any colour as long as it came from Harm.

Only he wanted to impress her. "I was stopping to buy you a dozen roses with the typical 'Be my Valentine' s spiel. And then the woman at the flower shop asked me if I knew what the colours meant."

It had been interesting mostly because, to him, all roses had something to do with love. They didn't and the woman's explanation had given him an idea.

"You looked so...happy. I liked that I was the one putting that smile on your face. So I may have gone overboard."

Mac smiled. "I had hoped it was you from the beginning. But, it wasn't something that you would do.."

"No, it isn't. I'm not a romantic, Mac… I never will be, but actions speak louder than words…" Yes they did and his had spoken volumes about Harm's feelings for her. "I'm not good at relationships, but I want to be with you...forever. And if it takes me buying you roses every day, I'm willing."

"Forever, huh?" Her smile widened, Mac rather liked the sound of a forever with Harm. Neither of them were perfect, she had a habit of running away and assuming the wrong things.

"If you'll have me...Mac? Where you going?"

Mac unraveled herself from the sheets and headed, stark naked to the living room returning with rhebflowers. She plucked the card from the center reading one side and then the other. "Love, longing, desire and devotion...Don Juan is something of a poet."

"Mmm...sounds like a guy who knows how to get the girl." He reached out, taking Mac by the wrist and pulling her back into bed roses and all. Harm grabbed a rose out of the arrangement, carefully pulling it free. "Lay back, Sarah."

Harm would use that rose to trace her body taking it by the stem, running it over her cheeks, lips and nose. Then he moved the petals down her neck to the hollow of her throat. "I love you, Mac." His mouth followed suit, kissing each inch of skin that the rose slid over.


End file.
